ALMATY, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- China crushed Britain 12-0 to enter the women's ice hockey semis at the Almaty 2017 Winter Universiade, but China coach Luo Lei on Thursday called the 4-1 win over hosts Kazakhstan earlier "decisive" in allowing them to survive Group A which also included powerhouse Canada.

China, who finished fourth at the last Universiade, lost 9-1 to Canada in the Group A opener, but the following two wins secured China a semifinal berth with six points.

"Canada is the strongest team in our group and I assumed that they would surely win top place, so the game with Kazakhstan (almost at the same level with China) was decisive for our destiny," Luo said.

"We felt some triumphalism before the match (against Kazakhstan) and we showed all the appropriate tactics and the right mentality, so I am satisfied with the performance," he added.

China is likely to meet Russia in the semifinals. "I know Russia is the title favorite, but we will try our best to beat them and advance to the final," Luo said.